Leadership Lessons from Michael Jordan’s “The Last Dance” Episode 4

Leadership Lessons from Michael Jordan’s “The Last Dance” Episode 4

by | Leadership

So, now we’re on episode 4 of the ten-part documentary series “The Last Dance” about Michael Jordan’s last year with the Chicago Bulls. Part 3 was on the importance of taking ownership.

[UPDATE: Due to the positive feedback I received on this series I turned it into a short book called “Lead Like Mike”. If you want to support me and read the ten posts all in one place you can now order the book here.]

The Purpose of Leadership

What stood out in episode 4 was Jordan stepping up his physical training.  During this time, NBA games were much more physical than today. In the late 1980s and 1990 players would at times intentionally hurt each other and to some extent, it was tolerated.

In 1989, before Jordan had won his first championship, the most physical team was the Detroit Pistons who were known as the “Bad Boys.” To stop Jordan the Pistons came up with the “Jordan rules” which meant that they would do anything and everything to stop him from getting in the air. The Pistons would literally hit, push, hold down, or sandwich Jordan all in an effort to keep him on the ground.

It wasn’t mentioned in this episode but I found an interview where Tim Grover a personal athletic trainer shared his story about this time. Eager to train professional basketball players in his hometown of Chicago, Grover wrote personal letters to 14 of the Chicago Bull’s 15 players. The only player he excluded was Jordan. No one responded to his personalized letters, but he did receive a call from the Chicago Bulls organization because one athlete was interested. When Grover showed up to the appointment, he learned it was Michael Jordan.

During this time, it wasn’t common for players to hire personal trainers since the teams provided their own. But Jordan hired Grover to gain strength and muscle which he felt he needed to combat the Detroit Pistons’ physical style of playing. Grover ended up training Jordan for over 15 years.

Jordan’s training started at either 5, 6, or 7 in the morning BEFORE the team’s practice. Jordan invited other players to his house for the early morning workouts, which were called the “Breakfast Club” because you couldn’t eat breakfast until the session was over.  Sometimes Jordan would also train after practice.

When the other players saw how hard Jordan was training they had no choice but to emulate him. When they saw how committed Jordan was to winning and getting better they were compelled to do the same. Jordan inspired his teammates to take their training and performance to the next level.

And one of the things I loved about those Chicago Bulls is that non-famous athletes were playing like superstars because they were excelling at very specific roles. Of course, the coaching by Phil Jackson was central to this, but Jordan played a strong role in helping everyone around him become better regardless of who they were.

LEADERSHIP NUGGET #4: Great leaders use their influence to channel the collective energy and strengths of those around them into a worthy objective that one cannot accomplish alone.

One of the signs that someone has real influence is when they can use their influence to channel the collective energy into a worthy objective, goal, or change.

Ghandi did it.

Nelson Mandela did it.

Martin Luther King Jr did it many times. 

Winston Churchill did it.

John F Kennedy did it.

Abraham Lincoln did it.

Hitler did it for the wrong reasons.

And the list goes on and on.  

I’m not saying Jordan’s impact is on the same level as these people. But the common thread here is using one’s influence to accomplish something that you cannot accomplish on your own. Leadership author and guru, John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence.” At first, I disagreed but now I see it.

“Leadership is influence.”

John Maxwell

If there’s no one behind you, you’re leading. Well, you’re leading yourself and that’s a critical start. But the purpose of leadership is influence. Positive influence. But you can’t lead others until you start leading yourself.

Leaders have a responsibility to tap into the strengths of those around them, manage their weaknesses, and help them develop their strengths so that together they are better. Jordan did it by becoming the person he felt he needed to become to win championships. This inspired his teammates to improve themselves.

The reason why he had so much authority, respect, and influence over his teammates was due to his dedication to improving himself, the clarity of the goal, and his willingness to let his teammates now when they were not keeping up. Was Jordan liked, like a friend? Probably not. We’ll talk more about that later.

We live in a world of influencers. Being a “social media influencer” is a job title now.

But why do you want to have influence?

What’s the goal?

What’s the common good you want to achieve with that influence?

If you want to lead and have influence then it’s critical you understand why? A lot of people want to be the big boss, but why? Why should you have the privilege and responsibility of leading a group of people?

So, what’s the purpose of your leadership?

If you like this series, check out my book, Leader by Choice.

Some of the reviews:

—“I think everyone can benefit from reading this, but especially those who feel they are held back by their past.”

—“I read a lot of leadership books but few are as accessible, personal, and action-oriented as this one.”

—“This was just the book I needed (as someone who has been in middle management for a while, but feeling stuck. Mid life!).” 

3 Things Nelson Mandela Can Teach Us About Influence (Part 2)

3 Things Nelson Mandela Can Teach Us About Influence (Part 2)

by | Leadership

3 Things Nelson Mandela Can Teach Us About Influence (Part 2)

Photo by Ashim D’Silva 

 Welcome back to this series on the three things we can learn from Nelson Mandela about positive influence. Go check out part 1 if you missed it. The idea for this series came from the book Playing the Enemy by John Carlin.  

 In “Playing the Enemy” there’s a story that takes place the day after Nelson Mandela won (May 10, 1994) the Presidential election in South Africa.  Just to add some context these were the first multi-racial Presidential elections in the South Africa’s history and many feared that the country was on the brink of a civil war based. 

The day after winning the Presidential elections, Mandela visited the office of the former President’s chief of staff. The former President was known as one of the key figures fighting to keep apartheid (according to Oxford dictionary- Apartheid is a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race.) in place.

Anticipating his firing, especially with the start of the country’s first black presidency, the chief of staff was packing his belongings and preparing to move on when Mandela walked into his office and said,

“You know this job. I don’t. I am from the bush. I am ignorant. Now, if you stay with me it would be just for one term, that is all. Five years. And then, of course, you would be free to leave, now, please understand me: this is not an order. I would like to have you here only if you wish to stay and share your knowledge and your experience with me. “

 That was Mandela’s way of sincerely asking for help because he needed it. Of course, Mandela wasn’t an ignorant man from the bush.

Mandela was a trained lawyer, the leader the biggest opposition movement, the person most credited for bringing multi-racial elections to South Africa, and had brought much unwanted attention to South Africa on account of its apartheid system.

Oh yeah and he was the new President. 

So what can we take from this story?

  1. It’s Okay to Show Vulnerability

The first thing I found was that instead of relying on his newfound authority as President to force the chief of staff to work for him, Mandela did the opposite.  He relied on his vulnerability and not on his title or newfound authority.

Being vulnerable sounds so simple, but it’s hard for leaders to embrace. Why?

As leaders our natural reaction is to do the opposite. We believe that vulnerability is a sign of weakness so we do everything possible to avoid showing any signs that make us seem less than capable.

 However, when used at the right time and for the right reasons being vulnerable is one of those things that makes us most human.  It leads to connection. That’s a good thing.

 I worked for a boss once who would ofter ask for my opinion because he didn’t know something or wanted to hear from more perspectives. I didn’t think any less of him; it was the opposite.

 It was a win-win. I felt appreciated, included, and empowered. 

 Being fully human isn’t a sign of weakness. We need to stop pretending that being a leader means you’re perfect.  Needing help and not having all the answer doesn’t make you any less of a leader.  

 This realization is important because this helps build trust.

It takes courage to be vulnerable in front of others, to ask for help, and admit you don’t have all the answers. 

I’m not proposing that we go around just asking everyone for help and trying to manipulate others. You can’t fake vulnerability. Well I’m sure you can, but you shouldn’t it because It’s wrong and because people will see right through your act.

  1. Ask for Help When Needed

The second thing I picked up from this story and from Mandela was his ability to get the right help when needed regardless if they agreed with him or not. He didn’t try to do things on his own all time. There were times when he had to make decisions that went against his political party, but he listened first and then decided on the action needed. 

Mandela was very intentional about surrounding himself with the right people even if they did not agree him on everything. This is really important because we all have biases. Research has demonstrated that people feel more comfortable with people who look like themselves. 

But the problem here is that familiarity or comfortableness doesn’t equate to effectiveness. Mandela didn’t seem to care about that. He was more focused on the mission and getting the right kind of help instead of thinking he could do it on his own.

As leaders we have to stop believing in the myth of the “Self-made” person.  Everyone needs help with something.

  1. Put Your Ego Away

The final thing I picked up from this story has to do with ego.

You see one of the biggest problems or obstacles for leadership is you. It’s not other people, your circumstances, your goals. It’s your ego.

On multiple occasions Mandela put his ego to the side and focused on the greater mission. I think it was due to his focus on the bigger mission that he was able to ignore his ego.

Could you imagine asking your political rivals or people who you know distrust you for help? It’s hard to imagine, right?

The reason for this is because of our ego. Sometimes our ego is calling the shots so when it takes over instead of making decisions that make sense we focus on things that we think make us look good (smart, in control, etc) instead of doing what’s right.

When you put your ego to side it really helps us build trust and connection in addition to making better decisions.

Which one of these ideas comes easiest and hardest for you to apply? And why?

3 Things Nelson Mandela Can Teach Us About Influence (Part 1)

3 Things Nelson Mandela Can Teach Us About Influence (Part 1)

by | Leadership, Personal Development

3 Things Nelson Mandela Can Teach Us About Influence (Part 1)

Then-President Nelson Mandela revisits his South African prison cell on Robben Island, where he spent 18 of his 27 years in prison, in 1994. (Jurgen Schadeberg / Getty Images)

In preparation for my move to South Africa I’ve been learning about the country by reading about Nelson Mandela. I recently read the book “Playing The Enemy” by John Carlin which was turned into the Hollywood film “Invictus” starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.

Once again, the book is 100 times better than the movie.

As I read the book, I picked up on three distinctive and practical things about Mandela’s leadership and especially ability to influence that I wanted to share and remember myself.

I’ll devote one blog post to each of the three traits I found. Why 3 separate posts? Because I have a day job and don’t have time to spend all day writing.

Okay so back to the story…

While serving over 27 years in prison, it was around Mandela’s 11th year of incarceration that he decided to change the methods he was using to pursue the end of apartheid (defined “as a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race.”)

Mandela went from a more militant tactic to a softer and collaborative approach.

His goal was the same, but the strategy changed.

To fight against apartheid and all the injustices black South Africans suffered mostly at the hands of the Afrikaners, “South Africa’s dominant white tribe” as Carlin describes them, Mandela started by winning over his prison guards.

He believed that if he could influence his prison guards to work with him, he could persuade the entire white population of South Africa to do the same. After convincing one of his guards to loan him a “hot plate” to heat his food — this was forbidden– Mandela convinced himself his plan was possible.

So how did he influence the guard?

By showing dignity and respect.

Seriously. That was it.

He won over the first guard by giving him the very thing Mandela has being denied him. Respect.

He showed the prison guards so much respect they eventually started treating him differently. But he never accepted any treatment that was deemed to be make him feel inferior.  

Those years in prison gave Mandela time to reflect. Instead of seeing white people as an “enemy” he showed them as much respect as possible by studying their culture, history, and even teaching himself their language.

During this transformative process he came to see Afrikaners not as racist or evil people, but as a group whose views on race at the time were “misguided” and in need of redemption.  

The second thing Mandela did was use emotional intelligence.

Mandela had every right to react to the poor treatment he was receiving from the criminal justice system by fighting back, resisting, or responding with violence. But he didn’t.

In the book “Getting Past No” the author, William Ury writes, 

“Objects react. Minds can choose not to.”

Mandela’s mind chose not to. And instead he did what Ury describes as “Going to the balcony” which is a,

“metaphor for a mental detachment. From the balcony you can calmly evaluate the conflict almost as if you were a third party. You can think constructively for both sides and look for a mutually satisfactory way to resolve the problem.”

So What’s the big idea?

Mandela’s goal wasn’t to beat and then punish Afrikaners, but to include them in the rebuilding of South Africa. He wanted to unify the country.

This reminds me of an African proverb an Ambassador I worked for loved to quote,

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

If we see others simply as enemies or an obstacle to our goals we’re losing out on the potential to have an alley and to collaboratively solve problems.  

Mandela teaches that you can–

Turn Your Enemy Into An Alley

 

Sometimes the enemy is not who or what we think it is. In this case, the real enemies were:

-Ignorance

– Fear of the unknown

– Hunger for political power

– Indifference to the struggles of others

– Inability for people to question cultural and political norms.

He realized his fight was against ignorance and fear and not against white South Africans. 

So what about you?

Are there any enemies or adversaries you can start to see as allies in order to accomplish a bigger goal? 

What Yoyo-Ma Taught Me About Charisma

What Yoyo-Ma Taught Me About Charisma

by | Leadership

Yoyo-Ma

 

As an introvert, there are times I can find social gatherings a little uncomfortable or energy-draining so I have to find creative ways to stay engaged. But once, I invited myself to a reception for a chamber music concert just so that I could meet the guest of honor, it was the world’s greatest cellist– Yo-Yo Ma. (more…)